19 / 20 Reading NACE codes in registers, datasets and listings
How are codes read in PDF reports?
Published Updated
Statistical classification only
Statistical classification only. This guide does not determine any reader's code. Confirm a code with the national statistical institute or the business register that holds the record. This is general information, not advice on any reader's registration.
A PDF report shows codes in a fixed document, with a publication date, a version, and a structure that does not update when the classification changes. A code in a PDF must therefore be checked for the version the report uses and the date the report was published, before it is quoted. A PDF published before a revision, or compiled on an earlier version, will show codes on the earlier basis, even if it is opened after the revision takes effect. The PDF is a snapshot.
The classification is a living standard with versions, and the snapshot must be dated and versioned in every citation.
What does the Eurostat manual PDF contain?
The Eurostat manual for NACE Rev. 2.1, in its 2025 edition, provides guidance to statistics producers on the classification of economic activities according to NACE Rev. 2.1, and allows statistics users to better understand official statistics based on NACE Rev. 2.1, as Eurostat states in the publication summary. The manual contains the introductory guidelines, which describe the overall logic and methodological principles of the classification, and the explanatory notes, which explain which activities are classified in each NACE category, as Eurostat states in its news account of the manual. A PDF of the manual is therefore a complete reference for meaning and method, for the edition stated. The 2025 edition is archived, in Eurostat wording, and Eurostat directs readers to the latest edition, which also provides access to previous editions. A reader who cites the manual should cite the edition consulted, with its product code, KS-GQ-24-007, and the date of the check, so that a later reader can tell whether the edition cited is the latest or an earlier edition.
How is a code in a PDF dated?
A code in a PDF is dated by the publication date of the PDF, the edition stated in the PDF, and the reference period of the data in the PDF, where the PDF contains data. The correspondence table between NACE Rev. 2 and NACE Rev. 2.1 was made available to classification users on 1 August 2023 (FIXED, as stated in the recitals of the implementing regulation cited on the Eurostat transition work), along with the explanatory notes. A PDF that reproduces that table should state the date of the table, and a PDF published before that date cannot contain it. A PDF that contains statistics should state the NACE version used for the reference periods shown, and a PDF that spans the changeover should state the version for each period, or should flag the break. A reader should record the PDF title, the edition or version, the publication date, and the NACE version stated, before quoting a code from it. A code quoted from a PDF without those four items cannot be placed in time, and it should be treated as undated.
What is the difference between a PDF and an online code list?
A PDF is fixed at publication. An online code list, such as a category page on ShowVoc, can be updated, corrected, and republished, and it shows the version currently presented. The Central Statistics Office states that ShowVoc presents classifications in both human readable and machine readable formats, and that correspondence tables are available there. A PDF and an online list can therefore differ, where the online list has been corrected after the PDF was published, or where the PDF is an earlier edition. Neither is automatically correct. The PDF is correct for the edition it states. The online list is correct for the version it currently presents. A reader who finds a difference should record both, with their dates and versions, and should check which one the source being cited actually used. A difference between a PDF and an online list is a version difference to be recorded, not a contradiction to be resolved by preference for one format over the other.
| Source form | Fixed or updated? | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| PDF manual or report | Fixed at publication | Title, edition, publication date, NACE version stated |
| Online code list, ShowVoc | Updated, version presented | Version shown, category, date of the check |
| Correspondence table PDF | Fixed at the date stated | Table date, versions on both sides, mapping type |
| Dataset table, online | Updated by release | Dataset, reference period, version, release date |
The table keeps the four forms distinct, and it states the record each one needs. A citation that treats a PDF as if it updated itself, or an online list as if it were fixed at a publication date, misstates the form, and the misstatement will misdate the code.
How are codes in a PDF quoted honestly?
Codes in a PDF are quoted honestly when the quotation names the PDF, the edition, the version, and the page or section, and when it states that the quotation is from that edition, not from the current classification in general. A quotation that gives only the code and the PDF title, without the edition and version, cannot be checked, because the reader cannot tell which edition was used. A quotation that adds a claim about a business, a licence, or a status, on the basis of a code in a PDF, adds a fact the PDF does not contain. The PDF contains the classification, the notes, and, where it contains data, the aggregates. It does not contain the entry for a specific business, and it does not contain a finding about a licence or an obligation. Those facts belong to other records, and they should be quoted from those records.
Where is a PDF code confirmed?
The meaning of a category in a PDF is confirmed in the explanatory notes in that PDF, for the edition stated, and in the latest edition where the category has been revised. The move between versions is confirmed in the correspondence tables, with the table date recorded. The entry for a specific business is confirmed with the national statistical institute or the business register that holds the record, not with a PDF. A PDF is a reference document. The register is the record of the entry. The two should never be confused, and a code in a PDF should never be quoted as a register entry.
Record the title, edition, publication date and version for every PDF quotation, check the latest edition where the category may have changed, and confirm a business entry with the register that holds it.